Monday, January 2, 2017

Many live
to eat and all of us love our food ~ none better than a full meal served
traditionally on banana leaves, starting with banana, sweet, rice, many many
varieties, ending with curd rice. It is
our tradition to place a full /top leaf for guests [thalai vazhai]. I have on earlier occasions posted on “rice” –
Green revolution and more.

Rice is the seed of
the monocot plants Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African
rice). As a cereal grain, it is the most widely consumed staple food for a
large part of the world's human population, especially in Asia. It is the grain
with the second-highest worldwide production, after corn, according to data for
2010.

Agriculture has
been mankind’s primary activity for centuries. Thiruvalluvar hails ‘Uzhavu –
Agriculture’ by saying that though
laborious, it is the most excellent form of labour; though people would go
around in search of various employments ~ all will have to resort to the farmer
at last !

சுழன்றும் ஏர்ப்பின்னது
உலகம் அதனால்;

உழந்தும் உழவே தலை
**

Rice is grown in
more than a hundred countries; with about 90% of global production occurring in
Asia. The others prime producers are Sub-Saharan
Africa and Latin America. There are some special varieties like the
famous ‘Basmati rice’, a type of aromatic rice, grown mostly in India and
Pakistan. It is renowned for its long, slender shape that elongates rather than
expands in width when it is cooked. The word basmati means "queen of
fragrance," and the rice is distinguished by its aroma and taste.

Now read
this shocking news in MailOnline ! Authorities
in Nigeria have seized more than 100 bags of plastic rice - saying it would
have been dangerous to anyone who tried to eat the contents.

Prices of the staple
food have rocketed ahead of Christmas and the New Year, and investigators
believed the haul was shipped from China. A suspect has been arrested after 102
bags were seized in Lagos. The cost of rice has swelled to a staggering £51 for
a 50kg bag in Nigeria - more than double what it cost last year.

Customs controller
Mohammed Haruna said: 'We have done a preliminary analysis of the plastic rice.
After boiling, it was sticky and only God knows what would have happened if
people consumed it.' A senior customs
official told AFP that the bags are thought to have been smuggled in from China
through Lagos port. The 50-kilo bags, branded 'Best Tomato Rice', had no date
of manufacture and were intercepted Monday in the Ikeja area of the sprawling
city, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Nigeria has banned
rice imports as it seeks to boost local production. Haruna said the plastic
rice was to be sold ahead of Christmas and New Year festivities, with the price
hitting the roof because of huge inflation.
Nigeria's inflation stood at 18.5 percent in November, its 13th consecutive
monthly rise, driven by higher food prices. The customs service has sent the
fake rice to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
for further analysis.

Exploitation
of poor and gullible keeps happening and it involves trade across the borders
too !!